Revenge
by TsukiyomiItachi
Summary: Shuji and Chise break up. The aftermath has affected both in different ways. One more, one the less. They go their separate ways, but one little girl won't stand for this in the end...
1. Aftermath

Tired, that's all he felt; tired and alone. The lamp light flickered as a disheartened Shuji thought about his actions, although they were too late to think about now. Why did he do what he did? He curled over to the left side of his bed thinking about how he was the stupid one this time. The light kept flickering until it blew out. Shuji lost in his thoughts didn't notice. _Why did I do that to you Chise_ he thought. He couldn't place all the blame on Fuyumi; he was responsible too. He was responsible for everything – well maybe not everything.

"Damnit…light went out" he muttered to himself and he fumbled through his junk drawer for a bulb.

As soon the bulb was placed inside, the light appeared and he saw the pictures, the one with him, Akemi and Fuyumi and the one with Akemi and Chise. A calming sensation came over him as his eyes focused on Chise's photo, until he remembered that they broke up.

"Oh, Chise…I'm the dummy now" he said to the photo as if it could hear him.

He picked up the photo frame and turned it over, trying to forget, trying to forget what he did, trying to forget the pain of his mistakes; he couldn't. Fuyumi wouldn't let him. As long Fuyumi was around he wouldn't be able to forget.

Shuji plopped himself on his bed. He could smell his mother's cooking faintly from the kitchen. He brushed his hand through his grayish looking hair. If only he hadn't been so careless.

"Shu-dear! Time for dinner!" his mother hollered from the bottom of the staircase.

Shuji just rolled over to the other side. He couldn't eat. Or maybe he didn't want to eat. Too many thoughts ran through his head, all focused on person: Chise.

"Shuji! Are you coming to dinner!" his mom yelled.

"Leave it in the microwave, mom!" he replied to her with a yell. Shuji looked over his shoulder; the picture was still facing down, just as he left it.

_Meanwhile…_

"Commander Chise!" Chise turned around and vaguely glanced at an SDF soldier running up to her. He spoke words, but the pills she had just recently took made her briefly deaf. She mumbled something in response and he looked at her quizzically. "Are you alright...?" the soldier began, but a hand touched his shoulder and he became silent.

"Lieutenant Tetsu." the soldier saluted.

Chise tried to get up, but failed. Everything had been failing her lately.

Tetsu privately commented something to the soldier, and he left, looking behind his shoulder at the small girl with the ripped school uniform. "Chise..." Tetsu began. Chise's hearing cleared up.

Chise's vision was clearing up as well, slowly and then she recognized him.

"Testu... I did it again..." she began, but a lump in her throat stopped her from saying anything more.

Tetsu knew what was about to happen. Chise would start crying and nothing he could say or do would stop her. "You did fine." was all he could ever manage.

Chise drew her attention to the remnants of a building she recently destroyed.

"D-destroy... I always...destroy...something. I can't..." Chise's stutters broke off with sobs.

Her throat was dry. She was tired.

She had seen enough destruction by her own hands. Foreign men died by her hand. People she didn't even know speaking languages she wasn't very good at. She killed them. They probably had families waiting for them somewhere and she killed. She killed their hope. She destroyed.

She murdered.

And she was going to keep doing so until she was at her wits end, if the SDF was kind enough.

Tetsu offered her his canteen. She took it, warily, and drank. She realized how thirsty she was and she tried to gulp down as much water as she could. Tetsu became concerned. "Hey, whoa, slow down." And on cue, Chise coughed up water.

Every time she took those pills, her senses became weak. He, Nakamura, and the others warned her the first time she took them, but she never did stop. Tetsu assumed that her body became addicted and there was nothing he could do.

There was always nothing he could do for anyone; not even for his own wife, Fuyumi. Here he was, fighting a war he didn't even know the cause of, and God knows how she was managing at home. He was well aware that she hated being alone.

Then again, he was afraid of going back. He was afraid of what he might find. He was afraid that maybe Fuyumi was with someone else. No. She would never he thought, and went back to Chise, who stopped coughing and began crying again.

"Why, Shuji, why!" she screamed through her heartfelt sobbing

Everyday, it was like this everyday after the break up. She hadn't come home in a few days.

She just didn't want to go back and be reminded of..._him_. But she did miss her family and friends and something inside of her also missed _him_, too.

"Shuji..." she whispered hoarsely, and new tears breached through her eyes.

Tetsu stood up and sighed in defeat. Chise looked up, tears still falling, and he spoke after what seemed like an eternity of silence.

"We'd better get back to camp. It's depressing just standing in these ruins."

Chise swiped her eyes again, this time noticing her trembling hands were covered in soot. She thought about how ridiculous she might look and smirked.

"Why am I so stupid?" she thought to herself as Tetsu looked back at her with pity.

Her jaw dropped a bit, making her mouth form an "O" and he managed to smile at her. She wiped her eyes and smiled back at him. Or maybe it was a grimace, or because her hands had spread the soot onto her face.

Either way, Tetsu laughed.

Shuji wasn't on her mind for that brief moment.


	2. Fuyumi and Tetsu

_RING! RING!_

The school bell went off. Everyone came rushing out of class. It was the end of the day and also the end of the week. Everyone had plans for the weekend. Shuji paced himself across the hall as people rushed by him to their lockers. He stopped to look at the clock at the end of the hallway, when Akemi bumped into him.

"Hey, watch where you standing Shuji! You were in my way!" Akemi said with a fuss.

"Oh, _excuse_ me, Akemi. Next time I'll be sure to stick my foot for you." He replied hotly. The two traded menacing stares at each other. Akemi broke off and sighed and pointed to him. "You know Chise hasn't been in school for a couple of days. Do you know where she is, do ya!"

Shuji turned his face away, not wanting to feel the guilt. "No I don't know where she is. Now leave me alone."

"And you're supposed to be her boyfriend? Some boyfriend you are…" Akemi crossed her arms and shook her head. Frustrated, Shuji yelled at her "Just shut it Akemi. Who are you, anyway? My mother?" He stomped away furiously thinking about how ignorant Akemi was. _She doesn't have a clue_, he thought. _She doesn't have a goddamn clue as to what's been going on, or what's been happening._

He walked through the front door only to be greeted by Atsushi. Atsushi waved at him. Shuji waved back. At least Atsushi wouldn't be on his case.

"Hey Shuji, want to go to the arcade with me? They got that new King of Iron Fist game." Atsushi patted him on the back. "Yea, sure. Why not?" Shuji graciously accepted his offer. As soon as he walked a few paces, his eye caught a familiar face: Fuyumi. His eyes widened. _What the hell is she doing here?_ , he thought. His cheeks got bright red with embarrassment. Fuyumi caught sight of him and waved over running towards him.

"Shuji! Over here, it's me Fuyumi." She ran through a crowd of students, excited about seeing Shuji. Shuji's palms got sweaty and he started to sweat nervously. Atsushi shot him a puzzled look. "You okay man? You look tense…and who's the broad?"

"F-Fuyumi…" he stuttered, not being able to comprehend what Atsushi was saying.

Atsushi waved his hands in front of Shuji's face. "Hello, Earth to Shuji..." He broke out of his trance. At that moment Fuyumi was right in front of him. His cold sweat got even worse.

"Shuji, I knew I'd find you here. My, who's your cute friend, aren't you going to introduce me?" Fuyumi teased. Atsushi laughed nervously and gave Shuji a "Dude, are you serious?" look. "Oh, Atsushi, this is Fuyumi. Fuyumi, this is Atsushi." Shuji said quietly.

"I didn't know Shuji hung out with such cute friends. You should really introduce me to them sometime." she said, with a wink. Atsushi's face turned beet red. Rubbing the back of his neck, he only waved his hand towards her. She turned back to Shuji with a smile; the smile that made him weak. "Shuji, would you like to spend some time with me?" Fuyumi asked politely.

Thinking of the quickest excuse, he promptly replied "I was about to head over to the arcade with Atsushi." Before Fuyumi had a chance to speak, Atsushi intervened. "Hey, it's no problem. You can come with me tomorrow." Atsushi leaned over to Shuji's ear and whispered "Dude, watch out for kemi-Ay or she'll tell ise-Chay, okay?"

Shuji gulped. If Akemi caught him, he was screwed and wouldn't want her to chew his ear off. Besides, he and Chise broke up. Still he couldn't say that with a clear conscience. "Well Shuji, lets be off then." she said with a smile, clutching his arm and pulling him towards the school exit.

Akemi saw Shuji walk off with Fuyumi. A displeased look came over her. Shuji…you idiot, she thought to herself.

Shuji walked with Fuyumi for about an hour. In that hour they went window shopping and bought ice cream. Shuji felt guilt free for most of the time, but would rather be playing arcade games with Atsushi.

"So Shuji…umm, about last time…" Fuyumi began to speak "You know you were really good, and I was hoping we could do it again sometime." Shuji's mouth got dry. "Again? I'm not too sure about that." He gulped, hoping he could control himself. "Yea…again Shuji. One more time." Fuyumi laid her head on his chest. Shuji shook his head. "Listen, Fuyumi, I can't keep doing this with you. It's not right." he said defiantly. "You have a husband. I know he's not around, but how would you feel if you found out he was sleeping with some other woman!"

Fuyumi looked away. Shuji couldn't tell if what he said upset her or how he said it.

"That's the sort of thing I'd expect Tetsu to do…"

Shuji shook his head. He couldn't believe his ears. What was I thinking, he thought? "Fuyumi…I'll walk you home."

"Thank you Shuji…"

Chise stood in the ruins of another destroyed city. Corpses; it smelled of corpses and gunpowder.

She looked around and found nothing. No one was left. She was just staring at a barren field that seemed to go on forever. Chise embraced herself. Her hands went up to her hair and she sighed. She tried to fix the mess she had on her head, but failed. Suddenly, it started raining. The longer Chise remained, the harder it rained. She raised her head, and the rain drops washed her face. And again, alone, she slowly walked back to her tent, expecting nothing from anyone, except maybe some medical treatment.

A few hours later, she awoke to the glare of a blinding light. She blinked and stared around. There was no one, but she could hear voices around her: cries of agony, screams, curses, and whispers. Someone called for their mother. And she remembered her family. A pang of guilt took her breath away, but she recovered quickly. Chise gingerly stepped off the metal bed and stared down at herself. She needed clothes. Her uniform was ripped. Her undergarments barely remained. Tetsu walked into the tent and saw her condition. Chise noticed a faint blush on his cheeks, but she said nothing. He took off his over coat and placed it over her shoulders.  
"I'll see if I could find anything else from the casualties."

Chise flinched at the last word in the sentence. She could never save all of her men. "I'll work on it" she said aloud. Tetsu cocked his head slightly and she shook hers. He shrugged and went off.

Chise stepped outside and the horizon greeted her. It was the initiation of the weekend. She knew she should be getting home, but she was still unsure. She remembered how much she hated when her beeper vibrated in her pocket and she would have to scramble. She hated being interrupted. But it was only for one reason: Shuji. And look what he had done. Chise held back her tears. She didn't want to discourage the surrounding soldiers any further. Tetsu came back and gave her a pair of pants he smuggled. Chise put them on and noticed the blood stains on the left leg.  
"Ignore that. I just couldn't find any other in better condition. I also got you these." Tetsu held out a pair of boots. The shoelaces were missing, but she was grateful. Her bare feet just couldn't take anymore of the dirt, especially now that it was moist after the downpour.

"I'm hungry" Chise blurted out and Tetsu smiled. "I'd imagine" he told her and they went to get their daily ration. Tetsu shared his canteen with Chise, like he usually did, and right after the meal, Chise took her pills. Tetsu stayed silent until the pills settled in and Chise was able to speak without stuttering.

"So..." he began, and Chise started crying. "Oh shit. I'm sorry" he told her but she shook her head and apologized. "I'm the one who should be sorry. My parents must be really worried about me. And Akemi. And everyone else." Tetsu remembered a night when Chise was struggling through a nightmare. He usually stayed beside her when she slept, since he couldn't really get much sleep himself. Tetsu felt like he had an obligation to protect Chise ever since he first saw her out on the battlefield. "It seems so long ago..."Tetsu recovered. "Maybe you should go home, then." Chise cried even harder.

"What's holding you back?" He asked her and Chise grew quiet. She furrowed her brow.

"Shuji - he did something horrible." Her voice sounded like a growl.

Tetsu popped out a cigarette and lit it. Once he inhaled, he asked her calmly "What did he do?"  
"He was with his first love on the night where we were supposed to meet..." She choked over every word. He and Fu-Fuyumi...they...did something horrible..." Tetsu processed the name. Chise kept talking but he barely heard her. The only thing he could hear was the pounding of his heartbeat. "So...he...she...they were together...that night...And that's why I've been here ever since."

Tetsu's cigarette burned out with the strong gust of wind. "Damn" he grunted. Chise fidgeted around and she placed her head on her knees. "I think I should...go home...until I'm needed...I miss my family..." Tetsu nodded. A distinct feeling of betrayal came over him; his wife and Chise's boyfriend? It was a small world indeed. He lit another cigarette. "Damnit Fuyumi…" he muttered

Chise was home. Her brother Kazu was out with their mom and her father was in his room. She didn't dare to knock the door. He was in a state of shock. _Who could blame him?_ Chise thought when she picked out her clothes. _War is a terrible thing._ At this, she thought of Tetsu and how he was managing with the platoon.

Their numbers were dwindling day by day and she grew worried that maybe Tetsu would die, too. She shook the thought out of her head, and walked out of her room, outside of her house, and into civilization. The streets were awfully crowded. She struggled to get around the giant mass of pedestrians. She was so small and her surroundings were so big. She remembered all of her friends, her school, and she thought of Akemi and how worried she might be. So, she decided to visit her.

In that moment, Akemi was laying on her bed, thinking. She thought about yesterday afternoon. Shuji and Fuyumi, walking off, with Fuyumi smiling. Shuji looking around like the idiot he was. "Dammit, Shuji, you are the biggest idiot there is. Aren't you concerned about Chise? Can't you see Fuyumi is only looking for company? She doesn't love you! She doesn't love you like Chise does!" she yelled. No one responded. She was alone, as usual. 'She doesn't love you like I do...' Feeling guilty, she thought of Chise. "Jeez..."

The doorbell rang. Akemi snapped and ran to get it. "I swear if that's Shuji, I'll..." Chise shyly stood outside of Akemi's door. She heard footsteps from the inside, and before she could peek through a window, Akemi stood in front of her, panting.

"Chise!" Akemi's deep brown eyes widened at the sight of her small friend, covered in bandages.

"Hello, Akemi." Chise smiled.

"Where have you been? I was so worried!" Akemi grabbed Chise by the shoulders. "What's wrong with you? Have you been sick? Are you alright?" Chise smiled again and Akemi got angrier.

"Chise! Why don't you tell me anything anymore? Ever since you and thatretard Shuji have been going out, you've..." Akemi paused. She looked at Chise who had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry Akemi" she said and whimpered a little. Akemi felt horrible at that moment. Chise bowed her head and anger poured over her.

"I know about Fuyumi."

Akemi felt like her heart was being torn apart. She saw the look on Chise's face and at that moment she wanted to kill Shuji. "Damn him, that bastard" she mumbled and Chise looked up. "Oh, hell. Come on in, Chise."

Dusk came. The full moon was out. Akemi and Chise laid on the roof in silence. Chise had received no messages from the SDF as of yet. She actually felt a little relieved to be with Akemi. She couldn't remember the last time they had spent time together.

"Akemi, why couldn't you tell me?" Chise said with a sorrowful look

"About what?"

"Shuji's first love." she replied

"I didn't want to hurt you, Chise." Akemi said apologetically

"But...I wanted to know before You could have told me." Chise's voice cracked. Akemi propped herself up and Chise did the same. Chise had her hands over her face. "It hurts so much..."

"Chise..." Akemi didn't know what to do or say to comfort her friend.

"My feelings for Shuji won't go away. I'm sorry...I'm still in love. I'm sorry."

Akemi put her arm around Chise's shoulder. "Don't be sorry..."


	3. I Against I

The morning Chise came back to school was different. She decided to take the bus with Akemi like she used to; before Shuji. They sat together in the back with Nori and Atsushi. Chise stared out of the window. The weather was uncharacteristically warm for spring. There wasn't a cloud in sight. The ocean glimmered off in the distance. She was grateful she didn't decide to walk up Hell Hill. She would have been melting under the sun. Or she wouldn't have to accidentally bump into Shuji and end up walking to school with him.

She wasn't looking for any confrontations today, although she had a feeling they were unavoidable, judging by the fact that Akemi was going to bother Shuji, since Chise told her what happened. Atsushi tapped Chise. "Hey, Chise. How come you aren't walking with Shuji to school today?" Before she could answer, Nori pointed at the window.

"Speak of the devil; there he is. Shuji!" Atsushi and Nori opened their window. "Hey, Shuji!" Shuji looked at the passing bus and waved at his two imbecile friends. Akemi pushed Atsushi out of the way. "Shuji!" She flipped the finger. "This is all for you!" The bus rolled by and she laughed, leaving Shuji flaring Chise grew uneasy. She didn't dare get nearer to the window. She didn't want Shuji to see her. _It's going to be a long day_. She was already discouraged, and they hadn't even reached school yet. Atsushi noticed the look on Chise's face. Empty of emotion; lost in thought. Nori and Atsushi exchanged comments, and Akemi silenced both of them with her belligerence. She has quite a way of persuasion.

The bus came to a halt. Everyone stepped off. Akemi grabbed Chise by the arm. "C'mon, Chise. We don't have time for these morons right now." Chise looked back and saw Shuji crossing the street. Atsushi and Nori ran to greet him. "Akemi, what is your problem? So early in the morning and you're already bitching." Akemi let go of Chise and stomped her way to Shuji. "What was that!" she yelled. Chise tried to hide behind Akemi. Shuji spotted Chise tip toeing and greeted her spontaneously. "Um. Good morning..."

As if by instinct, she tripped in front of them, almost knocking Akemi sideways. Some onlookers laughed, others shook their heads. Akemi helped her up, and Chise covered her brand new scrapped knee.

"Oh. Owww..."

"Chise, you have to be more careful!" Akemi scolded. Shuji just stood there staring at her... "I'm sorry." Chise mumbled. She looked in Shuji's direction and he looked back at her.

It seemed like time stopped.

In that moment, Chise and Shuji were the only ones that were able to move. Shuji's eyes fell on Chise's shorter hair and battle scars. He wanted to hug her. He wanted to tell her he missed her. But he couldn't. His fear of her hatred held him back. He couldn't help noticing one thing, though. In her fragile state, she was beautiful. To Chise, seeing Shuji brought her saddening relief. She suffered silently under his gaze. She felt like he was burning holes into her flesh. Chise blushed. Shuji looked at Akemi, who was staring at the both of them, annoyed.

"Okay, okay. This is an awkward moment. Let's go Chise. We're going to be late." Akemi urged Chise forward. Shuji came crashing down into reality. As Chise walked off, Akemi shot Shuji a dirty look.

"I think Akemi wants to kick your ass." Atsushi said.

"No shit." Shuji replied.

At lunchtime, Shuji made his way to the roof, alone. No Atsushi. No Nori. And what hurt him the most was that Chise wasn't there. They were never going to eat lunch together like they used to. They were never going to discuss their plans for the future. Not like they did when they were falling in love. "Hey! Shuji! Down here!" It was Atsushi, waving at him form the playground. Shuji waved back.

"What are you doing up there, man?" Shuji thought about it for a moment.

"Nothing, I guess!" he yelled back. Nori persuaded Shuji to go join them. "I'll be right there!"

Chise walked up the stairs to the roof of the school. Chise, expecting the roof to be empty, brought her lunch with her. She didn't want to see Shuji. She never felt so uncomfortable around him, at least not like before.

He kept staring at her in their classes. In study hall, she almost fell over him. Thinking about it, she blushed profusely. Reaching for the doorknob, she yelped when she found Shuji on the other side of the door, holding the doorknob as well. "Um." She began. He stared at her lunchbox. His stomach gurgled. Chise fought the urge to giggle.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. He nodded. "Well, you can have it. I'm not really hungry at all." She lied.

"No, its okay, you eat it." Shuji insisted

They were reminiscing on the day they ate lunch together on the roof. "We're friends now, Shuji. You need to stop following me around." Chise said. "Who said I was following you?" Shuji told her. "It's obvious you were." she countered. "I was not-!"

He stopped when he saw the hurt look on Chise's face. Chise stood up a moment later. "I'm going to study hall now." Shuji grabbed her arm. "Wait, Chise."

"I'm sorry, Shuji." Chise pulled her arm away from him. Shuji could feel his actions taking their toll on Chise. "I'm..."

"Shuji!" Atsushi yelled from down below. Shuji forgot about him and Nori. "I'll be right down!"

Shuji turned around and got ready to tell Chise what he felt, but she had already left. The door slammed. "Chise, I'm sorry. That's what I wanted to say." But Chise wasn't within eye distance.

After school, the halls were packed as usual. Atsushi and Shuji struggled to make their way to their lockers. Once they did, Atsushi popped the question. "Shuji, did something happen between you and Chise?" Shuji said nothing. "Does it have something to do with that Fuyumi lady from the other day?" This question certainly caught Shuji's attention. "It's really none of your business,

Atsushi." Shuji slammed his locker shut.

"Well, Akemi told me to tell you she's going to kick your ass." Shuji snapped. "Oh that's just great. She always needs to be in my business! Every time something happens it's Akemi to the rescue! God! I am tired of her trying to-". Atsushi pointed behind Shuji. Shuji groaned.

"She's behind me, isn't she?" Atsushi nodded. Shuji turned around and was barraged with her fists. "Shuji! Dammit! How could you! I thought you got over Fuyumi, but I was wrong! Do you know how much hurt you've caused Chise! She's cried so much today and-"

Shuji strutted off, avoiding the rest of her punches.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, asshole!" Atsushi shrugged his shoulders at Akemi.

Chise was staring at them from across the hallway.

It was towards the end of the day. Shuji sat in last period waiting for the bell to ring. He felt like the world was against him today. In spite of all that happened, he could look forward to walking home and just getting things off his mind.

In three minutes everyone was packing and at their lockers. Shuji faced the door with the deadest look on his face. _I hope Akemi had fun with her little tirade today_ he thought. A pang of relief came over him. A calming serenity settled in him. Instead of walking down Hell Hill, he thought of taking the bus.

He waited by the stop near Hell Hill and stepped up inside. He saw Akemi, Nori, Atsushi, Rie and Seiko, but no Chise. He sat in the back with his two friends. Akemi glared at him, but Shuji figured he could deal with it. The three conversed about the day's events, avoiding the situations between him and Akemi. "Dude, that trigonometry test was difficult." Atsushi said with a disheartened sigh. "Yea, I bombed that test." Nori joined in. "How about you Shuji?" Shuji cocked his head back looking out the window. "It was alright…I guess."

"Shuji's such a genius, he doesn't need to study." Akemi interrupted. "You may be smart but he doesn't know the first thing about girls." Shuji rolled his eyes. _How longer will she go on like this? _he asked himself. "Tel them Shuji, about how you broke Chise's heart." Akemi crossed her arms.

"Akemi, has anyone told you that you're a busybody?"

This enraged Fuyumi. Hate bubbled over inside her. She tossed her head to the side and got off the next stop. "You know Shuji, you think you know, but you have no idea." Shuji scoffed at Akemi. What could she possibly know more than Shuji?


	4. The Beginning of The End

It was Tuesday afternoon. Atsushi dropped out of high school to join the SDF, leaving Shuji by himself. He didn't really talk to a lot of people. Akemi had started being nicer to him and he forgot all about her endless rants. Things were changing as always and he began to notice how different everything was now. Akemi and Atsushi were dating too.

Everything wasn't so cluttered like before. These days, he couldn't get his mind off Chise. He woke up with boners in the morning after having wet dreams and he couldn't even look her in the face. Then there was Fuyumi; playing with his emotions and turning him into mush. He kept remembering that evening when he and Chise kissed. He wasn't supposed, not while they were friends at least. He couldn't help himself.

He hurt her the night before Atsushi left. Shuji remembered how he said he wanted to protect Akemi. He was going to kill and most likely be killed…all for Akemi. _What a noble cause_ he thought.

The weeks were slipping by fast. Everything seemed like a blur to Shuji…but that kiss was the most memorable thing that stood out in his mind. He didn't even know that poor Chise was hurting more than ever without him.

"I'm so lost…" Atsushi said to himself. He was missing Chise's speech to the soldiers. He didn't think twice that the Chise he knew would be a weapon of mass destruction. He heard lots of stories about her; about how she was "the angel of death".

The one person that knew was Lieutenant Tetsu; the only person who survived in Chise's platoon.

"Excuse me. First Lieutenant Tetsu. I'm…" Atsushi began

"Don't say it" Tetsu broke him off. "Oh well, your gonna be dead pretty soon"

A lump formed in Atsushi's throat. He didn't like the part about being dead. He broke into a cold sweat and began stammering.

"I don't wanna get to know any more dead people." Tetsu's cold exterior came out. This war made him callous and unrelenting. He knew that most wouldn't survive and that the ones who did, well they would either meet their fate at the hand of Chise: the military's ultimate defense mechanism.

_Shit, who does this kid think he is? He's so young…and in the army? He's gonna die. We all are. No way around it._

He took another puff of his cigarette. "In this war…you learn a lot of things you wish you didn't know." Atsushi backed off. He couldn't stomach this. Is this what he was fighting for? Is this how he wanted to protect Akemi?

Chise was in a room. In a few seconds a hole appeared from what used to be a wall. She wanted to fight. "Darn it..."

"Leaving early again?" Akemi was out in the snow. The weather abruptly changed within a day.

"Yea, I was just heading home" Shuji answered.

Akemi knowing that Chise and Shuji broke up was beginning to have mixed feelings. She couldn't tell him how much she felt for him, even with Chise out of the picture. She couldn't stand being near him…it was too awkward.

"Atsushi is such an idiot. He went off to war for me; how stupid!" Akemi blurted out.

_Swak!_

"Idiot! Don't ever badmouth Atsushi to me!" Shuji felt a swelling anger. His eyes narrowed onto Akemi, who was beginning to tear up.

"I hate myself for feeling this way! But I'm so scared and confused; I'm scared to death." She was sobbing, trying to keep her voice audible and intelligible between her cries. "Shuji, how am I supposed to feel? My boyfriend...he may get killed over me!"

"Atsushi wants to protect you! He didn't know what the right thing would be. He may have to kill people and he might even get killed...but who is to say he's right or wrong?" Shuji walked off leaving her behind. He knew Atsushi was going to live with his decisions even if it mean his death.

"I bet he's eating like a king in the SDF." Shuji said cold heartedly.

"Yeah! They feed soldiers well don't they?" Akemi joked.

"And Atsushi loves to eat."

Akemi burst into tear agains. Shuji narrowed his brow at her. "Whats the matter now, Akemi?" She only turned to him and clutched herself to him. "I'm hungry - thats all.."

"Dummy"; the only words he could muster up to _comfort_ her.

To make a long story short :

_Things were changing - and rapidly. Yukari died trying to to avenge Take. The number of students in school were dwindling and the school was becoming to look more desolate than ever._

_That fateful rainy night replayed in Shuji's head that day in school - as did Chise. Both woke up that same morning with a wet dream about that night. Shuji kept hammering himself for an answer as to why he was such a perv. Chise only wondered if she could have Shuji's babies._

_Days later Chise found herself on a "date " with Tetsu. The two enjoyed each other's company that day - Testu found Chise near his camp crying on a church's steps that night before. Tetsu felt guilty for doing this to Fuyumi, but heaven knew what she did. It was also the first time Tetsu had to witness the thing Chise had become...and the only left ot save her was a kiss. That night Tetsu and Chise were no different from Fuyumi and Shuji..except.._

"Tetsu, is this how love is supposed to feel ?" Chise asked. Her shirt was unbuttoned, with Tetsu on top of her. "No, its not. I can't do this to you." Tetsu protested back, catching himself.

"You could have lied to me. Shuji couldn't lie to me either." Chise started to cry. It was like a relfex now to her. Tetsu couldn't do this. Not betweena girl who could barely fathom the meaning or the complexity of love. She was his commanding officer - a living weapon of mass destruction in the form of a adoloscent high school girl ! He couldn't.

"I'm sorry...I can't." he muttered.

"Its okay...your going to die anyway." Chise said with a blank look in her eyes and a smile on her face. Tetsu gave her a quizzical look.


	5. Chise's Mindset

He stared at her, confused and frightened. Terribly frightened. "'You're going to die soon anyway.'" Her words stung him more than anyone would ever comprehend.

"Which Chise are you... Right now?" he asked her, questioning the source of that statement. Chise remained silent for a moment.

"There's only one of me. There's only one Chise." Although he was still puzzled, he convinced himself that he understood. He began to feel pity for her, the only emotion that inhaled and exhaled along with him every time he was near her.

She was only a girl. Just a girl.

"She doesn't..." He found her eyes looking back at him, searching for something, trying to read his mind, as she waited for his next move. "She doesn't deserve this. My God, she's just a girl."

Tetsu sighed. "Okay. I get it now." They both hit the floor, Tetsu's body pressed on Chise's, while they kissed. He couldn't remember the last time he had been with a woman. If he had to choose, it wouldn't be this way, forcefully, hungrily, his lust preying on an innocent girl. Tetsu tried to go along with it, picturing Fuyumi in her place, until Chise spoke

"Mr. Tetsu? This is... Unh... This is love, right?" Tetsu stopped groping her once he saw the tears forming in the corner of her eyes. He said nothing, which made Chise hollow. "Can't you just lie to me?" He still said nothing. Chise looked in another direction and began speaking again.

"Shuji was the same way. I hated it." Tetsu listened attentively as Chise talked about everything in the saddest way possible. Even if her body was beyond repair, she still had the soul of a naive girl, still crushing over a lost love.

"Why are you here? Why do you fight? Why do you kill!"

Chise closed her eyes, covered her chest slightly, and replied, "Because I want to live. Why would you ask me that?" Tetsu let his eyes wander to the crack over her breastbone, which was surprisingly small compared to its usual length.

"Don't laugh at me. I'm a killing machine, but I'm in love. I never told anyone this... But... I have a dream. And I'm doing my best to live life." Chise's tone of voice changed. "Mr. Tetsu, it's never too late to fall in love, right? And if I can love, then I must still be human, right? Isn't love a human thing?" Pity rose up inside of Tetsu again. "Silly child..." Chise smiled.

"We don't have much time left on this planet and there's not much left of the person I once was," she continued. "I know I'm a killing machine and I can't be a normal girlfriend to Shuji because of that. All I can do is live and grow stronger. So, until Shuji dies..." Chise closed her eyes. "...I'll always love him and think of him."

"Are you crazy?" said Tetsu with a bored expression on his face. "That won't make Shuji happy."

This hurt Chise. "What?"

"That's a school girl's fantasy! And don't talk to me about love. You haven't even had sex yet."

"I have too! Halfway, though."

Tetsu laughed a little. "What? Did he cream his jeans?"

"That's not what I mean!" Chise blushed. "He. Um. Touched me."

"Where?"

"I can't say," she answered quickly, blushing at the mere thought of her brief intimacy with Shuji. "Here?" Tetsu slid his hand curiously up Chise's skirt.

"Hey!" she whelped.

"Where else could it have been?"

"No..." Chise whimpered. "Doesn't it feel good?" Chise closed her eyes shut and swallowed hard. "Are you embarrassed?" he asked, his fingers rotating where she was mostly sensitive. "Yes!"

"Men feel the same way women do. When you have sex, you expose vulnerable things... Not just body parts. But if you don't take the risk, you'll miss out on the best part."

"Mr. Tetsu... Stop..." He continued, ignoring her pleas. "Men and women have to touch each other's sensitive spots. We have to rub against each other even if we rub the wrong way!" Chise gasped, begging him to stop. "Sure it hurts, but we have to do it or we'll miss out on the joy!" Chise covered her mouth to try and suppress her sighs.

"That's how men and women have to live!" Tetsu finished and caught her under his gaze. "Go back to the base." He got up, leaving her on the floor with a look of confusion on her face. "If I ever see you here again, I really will do it to you. You'll never be a machine to me." Tetsu told her, gently. Her eyes widened. "Mr. Tetsu..." She sobbed and he helped her up. "Go or you'll be attacked again... By me." Her eyes peeked at the bulge in his pants. "I see that."

"I'm not going to walk you back to the base. You're safer on your own." Chise was a little disappointed. "What about you?" she asked while putting her shirt back on. He looked away, crossed his arms and said, "I'm gonna jerk off before I forget the feel of your body and then go back to the base." Chise's eyes widened in surprise and he saw her reaction from the corner of his eyes. "Yes, sir. My balls are about to explode because of you."

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"What? You want to help me?" he asked. "Not with that, sicko! I thought that you might get in trouble that you might get in trouble when you got back to the base because I kept you here so long." she told him nervously, trying to forget his perverted comments. Tetsu walked over to his bedside and grabbed his AK-47.

"Don't worry. I may be AWOL, but the officers need every experienced soldier they've got. They'll keep me around to fight." Chise took her belongings and bowed at the doorway. Tetsu lit a cigarette and smiled. "See ya." He waved. "If we ever meet here again, that'll be the day I die."

Chise walked slowly and cautiously, her insides scanning her surroundings to watch out for an enemy. Every time she heard a noise, she whimpered and tried to keep herself calm; she didn't want to accidentally set her missiles off. 'If I did that, the enemy would know our location and ambush us. We can't afford any more losses. The SDF doesn't stand a chance anymore.'

After a while, she relaxed and even hummed a tune to set her spirits up a little higher. She thought of Tetsu. She didn't mean to frighten him or even bring up the idea of having sex with her. She blushed. "I'm such an idiot." To the side of her, she heard a rustle and before she could scan the area again, she blasted a hole through an apartment complex.

She dropped her bags, stood there shaking with a hand covered over her mouth. She scanned the area as quickly as she could. When the coast was clear, she picked her stuff up and kept walking. She tried to hum again, but no sounds came out.

There was a faint ringing in her ears and she tried to shake it out, but it got louder and soon the world was spinning. She staggered into a wall and fell on the floor. Her hands groped their way into her bag and pulled out her medicine. She quickly swallowed what was left of it and waited until they settled in through her system.

Calming her weapon was getting harder now. It took longer this time, judging by the fact that the few pills she had were nowhere near to the average quantity she took. So, she prayed out loud to try and relax her body just to make the medicine travel faster through her veins.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I... Don't want to die, I don't want to die, I'm sorry, but I don't want to die. Don't kill me. Not now. Not now. Please. I'm sorry." She began to cry when she lost all use of her body. "No... No... No... Please. Work. Work for me. Please? Please? Ple-ease? Work! Dammit! Work!"

Chise squinted. "AAAAH!" she screamed into the night. "Her mind flooded her eyes with unwanted visions of Shuji and Fuyumi, Fuyumi kissing Shuji, Shuji blushing because of Fuyumi. She sobbed and screamed. "DAMMIT, WORK!" Chise lost her voice.

Chise lost everything except the hate growing inside of her. It fueled her senses, making her heart beat normally, the blood rushing back to her unfeeling limbs, and the ringing in her ears was now inaudible. The images stopped abruptly and she was able to get up. Her head was a bit heavy but she ignored it.

Her mind was overflowing with visions of murder and hatred for Fuyumi. She remembered the night he never came. She remembered how he broke her heart telling her that Fuyumi was his "first love". It didn't make sense. What was the point of being happy with him, if he was happy with her.

Her mind came to one conclusion: kill Fuyumi. It was the only way for Shuji to be released by that succubus's grasp. Chise didn't have the heart to do it, but whatever inhumane part of her living inside her, wanted to. How could she kill Tetsu's wife? Tetsu was going to die anyway. It was complicated, yet simple. Kill Fuyumi, but not hurt Tetsu.

She slumped over letting her body succumb to gravity. On her knees, her mind began to devise a plan. _How do I do this? _She thought. It came to her. _I'll kill Fuyumi…after Tetsu has met his end. _That was the plan.

Chise began to wheeze a bit. He breathing got heavier and heavier. In an instance her body collapse.


End file.
